 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2006-04-30 03:24
I am preparing to play Eb in Mahler's First Symphony and came across this description in a biography of Mahler. It was written about 1933.
"The brilliant little E-flat Clarinet, a queer foundling abandoned by Berlioz and carefully reared by Mahler, now invaded the proud precincts of the symphony orchestra a full-blown soloist, bursting forth in occasional mockery, grotesque often to the point of scurrility. Owing to the parodistic gifts of this reclaimed instrument not even the lugubrious atmosphere of a funeral march beclouding life would be safe from an interruption of almost ribald merriment tearing our thoughts away from futile gloom; or the spell of most tenderly sentimental moments might be rudely broken by an instrumental sneer, a practice the validity of which is amply reflected in our daily experience."
Gustav Mahler, Song Symphonist by Gabriel Engel (1892-1952)
My plan is to play with a scurrilous sneer the whole time.
johng
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: robertgh
Date: 2006-04-30 05:44
I think Engel was being a little harsh on Mahler's use of the Eb in this whole march sequence. Anyone familiar with the illustrations of the huntsman's funeral cortege of forest animals understands the hilarity and repressed glee that bursts through the droll parody of the Bruder Martin round. Disney could have had a real Fantasia fling with this (but maybe it's just as well that he didn't).
Scurrilous? Nah! Now the last movement of the Berlioz—yeah, that's scurrilous! Mocking, murdered she-demon from hell. Forget Disney—get Tim Burton!
Seriously, I stumbled across a doctoral dissertation abstract at http://www.stanford.edu/~draughon/Dissertation.pdf which refers to the "klezmer" quality of the interruptions. The third chapter of this dissertation by Francesca Lurana Draughon looks like an interesting study of the whole movement if you could somehow locate a copy.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2006-04-30 13:20
Boy I think that is one of the coolest Eb solos in the whole literature. It is written in a good range and it is just FUN! Actually I don't think Mahler could've picked a better instrument to get just the right effect. It is a blast to play and I think the whole clarinet section enjoys it. Sometimes they don't appreciate the Eefer but in this one they do.
Both Mahler and Strauss used the Eb in sort of cheeky or impudent roles. The only one that is really harsh is in Ein Heldenlieben, where I think Strauss actually was mocking the shrill shrieks of his wife (or so a conductor once told me, trying to set in my mind what the "proper" sound should be). Eefer is good at sort of klezmer-esque passages too. There is neat arrangement for clarinet trio on Klezmer themes that uses the EEfer in that role brilliantly. It was published by Woodwindiana. I want to say Hasana Taz, but I may be wrong.
Eefer guy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tyler
Date: 2006-05-02 01:11
Ah, the "black stick of death" as my clarinet friends in Missouri call it.
-Tyler
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2006-05-02 01:52
Mahler was spot on ... they're foul little beasts to be sure.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: kal
Date: 2006-05-02 17:35
By "grotesque" you do mean "blindingly accurate", right?
/bass and contra player ; )
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: CJB
Date: 2006-05-03 12:52
Timely post - had a rehearsal on this with an orchestra I'm depping with last night.
Didn't get it at all last night - but it felt so unusual to be asked to make that piano much louder and to play with a more racous, harsher sound.
To be fair I was really dreadful last night - just on a totally different planet for the whole rehearsal. If there was one thing I would love to be able to improve about my playing is its consistancy. I guess I also know the way of getting this...........practise.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2006-05-03 13:36
I've even used a sort of a slap fingering of the high C's (hitting all the keys in the right hand while hitting the high C) in that solo to accentuate the raucous nature of the part and further accentuate the staccatos. The director liked that in my case, but every director is different.
And yes this is one time in millions that he'll ask for "MORE Eb clarinet". Treasure the moment!
Eefer guy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-03 20:30
Normally I'm insulted when Ms. Shadow Cat reacts to, "Do you want to hear some clarinet?" by making noises of ultimate distress and dashing away down the stairs, but if I'm feeling masochistic enough to drag out the little eefer, I have to agree with her. I've heard other people play E-flat soprano well enough not to sound like a mutant rabid rat, but I seem to do better the lower down the scale I go. Alto and contra-alto are the E-flat clarinets for me.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
